Please call your U.S. Representative by Wednesday, April 10th and ask them to sign two separate “Dear Colleague” letters in support of libraries–one for LSTA Funding and one for childhood literacy. Read on for talking points and instructions.

1. Support Funding for LSTA in FY 2014

Ask your representative to support funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

LSTA is the primary source of funding for libraries in the federal budget

LSTA helps many public libraries provide services to users that include, but are not limited to: job searches, résumé building help, digital literacy workshops, access to e-government services, etc.

2. Support Funding for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Competitive Grant

Ask your representative to support Childhood Literacy in FY 2014.

Congress included $28.6 million in the FY12 budget for this competitive grant administered through the U.S. Department of Education to support school libraries and national nonprofit literacy organization working toward childhood literacy.

A minimum of half of this money will go as a competitive grant to low-income school libraries to help update their books and materials.

For Representatives to sign onto the letters supporting Childhood Literacy:

Republicans: If your representative is a Republican, ask them to contact Rep. Don Young’s (R-AK) office to sign on to this letter.

Democrats: If your representative is a Democrat, ask them to contact Rep. Jim McGovern’s (D-MA) office to sign on to this letter.

Please call your Representative today! All calls should be in by Wednesday, April 10th. To identify your Representative and learn their phone number, go to the ALA Action Alert and enter your ZIP code into the “Call Now” box.